CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Fighting Illini Soccer opened regular season play on Thursday against the North Carolina Tar Heels. The Orange and Blue were led by junior Kelly Maday who posted her first goal of the season early on. The Illini defense shut out the Tar Heels before the break, but North Carolina posted three second-half goals to earn a 3-1 victory in the match.
Illini junior goalkeeper Jaelyn Cunningham tallied six saves on the day, and freshman Makena Silber fired two shots in her career debut for Illinois.
"I think the good thing is that the staff and players were disappointed in the result today," head coach Janet Rayfield said. "But I thought we showed moments, especially in the latter part of the first half, of the team that we can be. We showed the kind of possession that we can have, and we got a great counterattack goal. We just needed more of those goals today. In the middle parts of the second half, we showed the kind of team that we are starting to turn into, and if we can add more moments of that, I think we can play with any team in the country."
Maday netted the first goal of the match in the 19th minute of play to secure a 1-0 halftime lead for Illinois in Chapel Hill. Sophomore Hope Breslin sent the go-ahead pass to Mayday, who broke away from the North Carolina defender and fired her shot from the top of the box. The goal marks the third for Maday in her career, while the assist is the first for Breslin.
"It's great to get her off and running," Rayfield said of Mayday's fast start to the season. "We knew there would be moments where we could get behind {North Carolina} and force the goalkeeper into making a decision; I think Kelly was composed and saw her coming out. I'm really excited for her to get the first one."
The Tar Heels were aggressive offensively from the start, firing nine first-half shots and putting three on goal, but the Illini defense was also strong. Junior goalkeeper Jaelyn Cunnigham tallied two saves before the break, and the UI defense also blocked a Carolina shot to keep the team scoreless early on.
The Illini defense continued to keep the pressure on North Carolina, but the Tar Heels tied the game in the 51st minute. North Carolina posted 12 second-half shots and extended their lead, 3-1, in the second half, despite Cunningham's four saves.
Several Illini made their collegiate debuts in the match, including freshman Ashley Cathro who recorded her first career start. Freshmen Amaya Ellis, Ashleigh Lefevre, Peyton Willie, Katelynn Buescher and Silber also made their first appearances in the Orange and Blue.
NEXT UP
Illinois will take on the Duke Blue Devils Sunday in Durham, North Carolina. The match is set for 12 p.m. CT at Koskinen Stadium. Fans can tune into the live stream or follow along with live scoring.
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